Friday, March 31, 2006

Here is the ongoing progress on Key Search. It's taking a long time! It's quilted in a fun way that I make up as I go, it's very unique. I was making it for sale, but I like it so I may keep this one for my own bed!I have not worked on it very much because I have spent a lot of time on the computer, working on the website. That is also slow going since I am teaching myself html, the hard way. I think quilters tend to do everything the hard way.This quilt will be in the Piecemakers Quilting Guild of Southern Alameda County Legacies of Love Quilt Show on May 6th and 7th. Entry deadline in next Tuesday for forms and photos, the actual quilts must be in by the 13th! Can I make it? Big question!I just finished up making a gallery on my website. You should check it out. My online artist group, Folk-of-Art-friends, had a challenge called All Creatures Great and Small. It was simple, sort of. Each artist picked an animal, limit of 2 people per animal, and made that animal. Most are listed for sale on eBay. I made a gallery page on my site that you can click to from the first page. It's Pretty obvious where to click.

Monday, March 27, 2006

This is what I have on my design wall right now. These are for wearable fabric collages. I will post them as I finish them.

I want to have them done in time to sell at the Country Store at our quilting guild show in Hayward on May 6th and 7th. It's at Centenial Hall. That's Hayward, California.

The Capucin with Biscotti will be in the show. I'm trying to finish Key Search for that show too.

Folk of Art Friends is finishing up a challenge called All Creatures Great and Small. I'm working on making a gallery on my website to show off all the pieces. I'm adding them as I can. You can go to Doublecat Batik and click on the link to the gallery so see the ones I've got so far. Just click on the little orangey-yellow banner thing under here:

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Thanks Ruben, for the beta test. I'm fixing the link from website to Blog. Then I'm checking on the email link. After that, I have to decide if I should first persue the graphics changes of see about the message board.Thanks Bunches and Bunches.C

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Not exactly wallowing is success. I've decided not to continue as an artist on Folk-of-Art.com. I've been on it since November of '05, which isn't exactly a long time. I've been paying monthly to have three items featured. More experienced people tell me it takes time, but after 5 months, I have not sold anything from there, and have only recieved one email. It was not even an inquiry, just somebody warning me about the dangers of breathing wax fumes. My site stats show that I am not even getting lots of hits to my site from the Folk-of-art site. After five months, I should at least see an upward trend! I don't think that's happening.

I have been informed that I have to sell stuff cheap at first, but that doesn't work. Pricing below cost doesn't seem to do it. Maybe pricing higher will make it worth more?

But my web site isn't wallowing in success either. I haven't done much to drive traffic to it. I have spent much of the time learning about making a site. My site has improved vastly in 6 months. I'm learning new things all the time. There is only so much time I can spend each day, and I want some time left over for actually DOING art. If it's not done by 7am, it's not gonna happen. The rest of the day starts and when it finally ends, I'm pooped. Last night is ended at 9:00pm.

I just changed the name of my blog and it's URL to better reflect my site name.

I want to make a better feedback, or maybe a forum. Any opinions? Even "Hi, I read your blog, it sucks scissors" would help!

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Friday, March 17, 2006

Joseph wanted a book from the Mountain View library, so we had it sent to the Milpitas library and I went to pick it up. At the desk, the librarian said

"You have a book overdue." I asked

"Which one?" She checked her computer screen again and mumbled

"I don't know." This is odd. She turned her computer screen artound so I could see.

"Zombie Butts from Uranus." She just couldn't SAY it. I renewed it.

Joe read it himself, I didn't. I read the preqel out loud, The Day My Butt Went Psycho, also by Andy Griffiths. It was terrible writing, but for little boys, artful prose means how many times you can work in the words 'butt' and 'fart' and still have a narrative.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Bedtime is difficult for kids. The end of the day, the part with no school, is over. Also, they seem to become frenzied right before they are ready to drop off. This frenzie includes dancing around in their underwear and ignoring orders to "Go brush your teeth" and "Get your jams on."And I say, from across the room:"Is that a poop stain? I don't have my glasses on." Dad says "Yes. That's disgusting! Go fix that!" Joe jumps up on the bed to look in the mirror. He gives his best Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka "eeew" and bolts to his room, singing....."Macho Macho Man.....I've got to be...a macho man...!"

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Sunday, March 12, 2006

This is our Opportunity Quilt for this year. Each year our quilt guild, Piecemakers Quilt Guild of Southern Alameda County, makes a bed size quilt, very high quality, and we raffle it off. It's one of our biggest fund raisers. We use the money to help run our guild and to work on different projects like community quilts for the Police and Fire departments to give to people in unfortunate circumstances, preemie quilts for babies born to soon to go home from the hospital yet, and ditty bags for shelter residents who need toothbrushes and soap for their stay. We make over 200 Community Quilts each year.We sell the tickets for $1.00 each. The drawing is May 7th. The quilt will be on display at our Legacies of Love Quilt Show at Centennial Hall in Hayward, California, on May 6th and 7th. Contact me if you would like a ticket.Caradrouin@sbcglobal.net

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

He is currently getting hair. Dave asks if it is "The Hair Club for Monkeys" I made him some biscotti yesterday. Joe was excited until he found out it wasn't made of food.I'm not going to be able to list this for sale on Ebay March 19th. I want to have it in our quilt show in May. There aren't usually many dolls. I dont know, IS this a doll?

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Project in progress. The artists in Folk-of-Art are participating in a challenge initiated by AntyMs Garden. A challenge is where a theme is declared and a deadline set, and everyone who wants to participate makes something in that theme. There are sometimes rules. For this one, the challenge is animals, the rule is that only two people may do each animal. The implied rule is that it must be suitable fro veiwing by all ages. The deadline is March 19th, when most of the animals will be listed on eBay.

I picked capucin, a new world monkey, but I'm making mine retired, so it's an old new world monkey.

To see what this group has currently available: Ebay foa items http://search.ebay.com/FOAF or click on the link on the right of this screen.